Susan Rice Blasts Israel–on Twitter

3 Feb 2014

National Security Advisor and former UN Ambassador Susan Rice took to Twitter on Monday night to blast Israel for widespread recent criticism of Secretary of State John Kerry by Israeli government officials. The torrent of tweets ran from at 8:14 to 8:17 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and spoke in defense of both Kerry and President Barack Obama, calling recent Israeli criticism of them “totally unfounded and unacceptable.”

Kerry has been criticized by Israeli leaders over recent remarks in Munich suggesting Israel could face international boycotts if it failed to reach peace with the Palestinians.

Many Israelis consider threats of boycotts antisemitic, since they are addressed only at the Jewish state. None accused Kerry directly of antisemitism, though that seems to be how the White House interpreted the criticism.

Kerry’s recent gaffes have also earned him harsh criticism from Palestinians, including a threat to take him to the UN’s International Criminal Court over a perceived threat to kill Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.